Many studies have established that people frequently have differing perceptions and comprehensions of natural language. These differing perceptions and comprehensions are based on a variety of factors, including native intelligence, education background, family background, culture, nationality, ethnicity, and personality type. As a result of these differing perceptions and comprehensions, expected and unexpected positive and negative consequences to the communicator can result.
The communication obstacles resulting from personality have been the source of a myriad of personality classification systems, each with differing purposes. Jungian Psychological Type, on which the following personality classification systems are based to varying degrees, was derived from the clinical environment and applied to psychopathology. Keirsey-Bates (Please Understand Me) and Keirsey (Portraits of Temperament) are intended to help with understanding our own and other's behavior. Of interest to the business environment, and the mediation of communication between manager and managed, is the second Keirsey reference that provides a useful classification of either role director or role informative. Role directors tend to define roles for themselves and others, and cast others into roles, whereas role informatives tend to wait for others to propose roles for them. Also, such relationships are not uncommon among peers. Full Spectrum Leadership (Eilers and Carabello) is used to develop different leadership styles and define the best problem domains of application for each style. Myers-Briggs is widely used to help identify an individual's life and career goals, and for conflict resolution within organizations, among organizations, among individuals, and in family settings.
Individuals tend to have different preferred styles of communication and interaction based on their personality type. Conflict often arises from these differences. Myers-Briggs is used in the following discussion, because it is the most systematically developed, and can be mapped both isomorphically and homomorphically to the above mentioned classification systems. The terms used are specific to Myers-Briggs and lack their common English definition. Also, they do not have any pejorative connotation. Again, owing to the brevity of the following, some inaccuracies are inevitable.
Myers-Briggs assigns preference in regards to the functions classified as Introversion/Extroversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. Each of the following functions has an introverted or extroverted form: Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, Feeling. The introverted form applies to a sort of personal sensation as opposed to being directed towards the outer world. There is also a preferred priority with which an individual uses each introverted/extroverted function, and a degree of skill with each function that the individual has achieved, e.g., through life experience.
Introversion is a preference for inner experience and reflection. Extroversion is a preference for action in the outer world and to “talk things out.” Conflicts may arise between these types when the introvert prefers some time to think things over, while the extravert pursues the introvert to achieve a face-to-face meeting to talk things out.
Sensing/Intuition refer to an individual's preferred mode of taking in information. Sensing types prefer observation of concrete bottom-up sequential detail. Intuitive types prefer a “big picture view” and top-down classification. Strongly sensing types may have some difficulty apprehending the abstraction and metaphor preferred by intuitive types. Strongly intuitive types may have difficulty coping with details that are not readily classifiable and whose lack of conceptual framework is unimportant to sensing types.
Thinking/Feeling refers to an individual's preferred mode of making decisions. Thinking types prefer to abide by rules and laws. Feeling types prefer to make decisions primarily by how they affect people, and they may prefer to overlook prescription and proscription when injustices may result from their application.
Judging/Perceiving generally refers to an individual's relative desire for closure. Judging types prefer closure while Perceiving types prefer to “keep things open ended” in preference to future possibilities. Conflicts may arise when a Perceiver does not respect a Judger's desire to meet deadlines or a Judger does not respect a Perceivers desire for “one last improvement.”
The above is only the briefest summary of conflicts that can be recognized and addressed via personality based analysis of natural language. There are deeper aspects of personality typing that can be applied to more complex problem domains.
As mentioned earlier, there are introverted and extroverted functions; for example, extroverted Thinkers tend be action oriented, whereas introverted thinkers tend to be more reflective. Extroverted Feelers tend to be more demonstrative of their affect, whereas introverted feelers tend not to express even their most strongly felt affect. For brevity the other more complex functions are not discussed here. The functions are further classified as dominant, auxiliary, tertiary and inferior, based on the order an individual prefers to use the functions and, resultantly, how adept they may be at actually using them.
Some Dominant Extroverted Sensors (who tend to be action-oriented daredevils) may cavalierly employ profanity in their communication, so such usage may not signify anything of particular importance. On the other hand, Inferior Extroverted Feelers rarely use such, but may do so when extremely stressed, so their usage of profanity should be notable to the recipient.
Organizations are also recognized as roughly having personalities. There are methods to calculate an approximate composite from the personalities of the individuals that comprise the organization, or a personality may be designated for the organization; one that it either aspires to or to which it wishes to conform. Organizations may wish to use such to enforce or encourage communication that conforms to the organization's ostensible personality.
Projects go through phases that may be termed personality driven. During the initial investigatory stages, Perceiving type communication that is exploratory and unstructured in nature may be encouraged. On the other hand, as a project nears general availability or is in maintenance mode, Judging or closure oriented communication with strictly sequenced actionable items with clearly defined delivery dates are enforced.
In many electronic communication systems, it would be beneficial for the source of a communication to have the assistance of a personality classification system in crafting the communication. Such assistance could, inter alia, reduce the conflict inherent in human communication and improve its clarity and effectiveness by making use of the personalities of the individuals involved, the chosen (or effective) personality of an organization, or the stage of a particular endeavor or project.